Approx 13 ladies died after they fell into a well during a wedding ceremony in Uttar Pradesh

In a terrible occurrence late on Wednesday in Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh, at least 13 ladies drowned in a well during a 'haldi' ceremony. The incident allegedly occurred when the women and girls were standing by the well's fence and sitting on the slab, and the iron mesh gave way under their weight. The event occurred in the police circle of Nebua Naurangiya.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences to the families of those killed in the Kushinagar incident on Thursday, stating that "possible support" was being provided by the local administration.

Yogi Adityanath, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, has previously expressed his sorrow over the deaths caused by the accident. He's ordered authorities to ramp up rescue and relief efforts, as well as providing treatment for the injured.

Villagers and police rescued about 15 women, but 13 more were unable to be saved in time.  "During a wedding programme, some people were sitting on a slab of a well and due to heavy load, the slab broke. An ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh will be given to the kin of the deceased," Kushinagar District Magistrate S Rajalingam said. The same was confirmed by Akhil Kumar, ADG, Gorakhpur Zone. Initially, 11 ladies were reported dead, but the number rose to 13 later.

Rescue operations continued until well after midnight, with top police on the ground keeping an eye on the situation.